Magnetic polarity stratigraphy of the Upper Siwalik deposits,Pabbi Hills,Pakistan

Over 1000 m of fluvial molasse, exhibiting a stable detrital remanent magnetization, is exposed in a mammal-bearing sequence in the Upper Siwalik Group of the Pabbi Hills, Pakistan. The magnetic polarity chronology reveals that the sequence records a time period of 2.6 m.y., extending from the early Gauss Normal Epoch into the Brunhes Normal Epoch. During this period, sedimentation rates increased upward in time from 0.25 m/1000 yr to 0.45 m/1000 yr. The sudden disappearance of red beds and a change in the lithoclastic composition of basal channel sands suggests that about 800,000 years ago the primary source area began shifting from the metamorphic terrane of the Himalayan Orogen to a more local sedimentary terrane on the folded margins of the Himalayan foredeep. About 500,000 years ago the anticlinal Pabbi Hills attained surface expression. Uplift continued at a minimum rate of 1 m/1000 yr.A local Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary based on the Olduvai Normal Event is clearly recognized. Local fossil finds reveal thatEquus, diagnostic element of the Pinjor faunal zone, appeared locally about 1.8 m.y. ago and thatHipparion, a faunal element of the Tatrot and earlier faunal zones, persisted locally until at least 3.0 m.y. ago.     

Magnetic polarity stratigraphy of a Plio-Pleistocene marine sequence of North Island, New Zealand

Thick sequences of relatively undisturbed Plio-Pleistocene sediments in the Wanganui Basin, North Island, New Zealand consist of well exposed silts, clayey silts, sandstones, rare limestones, and several tephras. Oriented specimens were collected from a section more than 2500 m thick and palaeomagnetic measurements were made using A.C. demagnetisations in fields up to 35 mT. With the aid of tephrochronology the age of the upper sequence is now well established and falls within the Matuyama epoch. The lower two-thirds of the section except for the basal 500 m is predominantly normally magnetised and is interpreted as a very extended sequence of the Gauss epoch. The lowest 500 m then represents the Gilbert epoch. The Plio-Pleistocene boundary, as defined at Vrica, Italy, falls within the upper part of the section studied, in the Upper Nukumaruan stage. For the first time a reliable correlation is made with the international boundary, using as intermediaries the palaeomagnetic and tephrostratigraphy of deep-sea cores from the southwest Pacific.

As a result of the high deposition rate (of the order of 1.2 m/ky) and the apparent lack of unconformities, the temporal resolution is high; short-lived magnetic events are detected, especially in the lower Matuyama and upper Gauss epochs. These generally correlate well with events reported from other extended sections.     

Magnetic polarity stratigraphy of the Fisherman's Cliff and Bone Gulch vertebrate fossil faunas from the Murray Basin, New South Wales, Australia

The Fisherman's Cliff and Bone Gulch Local Faunas are the second and third oldest mammalian fossil assemblages known in the Murray Basin of southeastern Australia. The determination of well constrained ages for these two faunas has been plagued by a lack of diagnostic microfossils or material suitable for isotopic age determinations. Based on previous paleomagnetic data [1,2] the ages of the Fisherman's Cliff and Bone Gulch local faunas were assigned to the Gauss and lower Matuyama Chrons, respectively. However, these dates were not tested by direct magnetostratigraphic studies at either locality. In order to make direct correlations, 22 paleomagnetic and five paleomagnetic sites, respectively, were collected from Fisherman's Cliff and Bone Gulch. Results indicate that the Fisherman's Cliff Local Fauna occurs within a zone of normal magnetic polarity whilst the Bone Gulch Local Fauna occurs within a zone of reversed polarity. By correlation to the Chowilla section, these zones are interpreted to represent the Gauss and lower Matuyama Chrons and ages of 2.47–2.92 and 1.88–2.47 Myr are indicated for the Fisherman's Cliff and Bone Gulch Local Faunas, respectively.     

Late cretaceous to early paleogene paleomagnetic results from Sikhote Alin, far eastern Russia: implications for deformation of East Asia

Welded tuffs in the Bogopol and Sijanov groups were sampled at 27 sites from 12 caldera formations in the Sikhote Alin mountain range around Kavalerovo (44.3°N, 135.0°E) for chronological and paleomagnetic studies. KAr age dates show that the welded tuffs erupted between 66 Ma and 46 Ma. All sites yield reliable paleomagnetic directions, with unblocking temperatures higher than 560°C. The high-temperature component at 12 sites and the medium-temperature component at 3 sites in the Bogopol Group show reversed polarity (D = 193.7°, I = −57.6°,₉₅ = 8.1°). The high-temperature component at 11 sites in the Sijanov Group showed both reversed and normal polarities and its mean direction reveals no detectable deflection from north (D = −2.9°, I = 59.6°,₉₅ = 11.2°). The combined paleomagnetic direction of the two groups yields a paleomagnetic pole of 250.5°E, 84.1°N (A₉₅ = 8.8°), which falls near Cretaceous paleomagnetic poles from Outer Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, the North China Block and the South China Block. The Sikhote Alin area appears not to have been subjected to detectable motion with respect to East Asia since about 50 Ma. This implies that the Sikhote Alin area behaved as an integral part of East Asia during the opening of the Japan Sea at about 15 Ma. However, significant separation between the paleomagnetic poles of East Asia and Europe during the Jurassic-Paleogene implies a major relative movement between these two blocks since the Paleogene.     

Determination of aquifer geometry through geophysical methods: A case study from Quetta Valley, Pakistan

Due to increase in population and agricultural activities, the aquifer of Quetta Valley is under tremendous stress and the water table is declining at an increasing rate. This situation necessitates evaluation of the aquifer system, for which information about geometry of the aquifer is a prerequisite. However, there are no drilling-to-bedrock data available; therefore, electrical resistivity, seismic reflection and gravity methods were employed to determine geometry of the aquifer. Interpretation of vertical electrical soundings provided information about the depth-tobedrock at some specific points, whereas seismic reflection delineated bedrock topography along two lines. The depths to bedrock inferred from electrical resistivity and seismic reflection data were used as constraints in the modeling of gravity data. 2.75D gravity models were constructed along lines with a regular spacing. Map of depth-to-bedrock was prepared by contouring the depth given by the gravity models. Combination of these geophysical methods depicted the geometry of the aquifer. This example shows that in a similar geological setting proper integration of geophysical exploration methods can determine the aquifer geometry with an acceptable reliability and at an appropriate cost.     

Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) carbon isotope stratigraphy of terrestrial organic matter for the Yezo Group, Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract Carbon isotope fluctuations of sedimentary organic matter along the two geological traverses in the Yezo Group, Hokkaido, northern Japan, elucidate a detailed chemostratigraphy for the Cenomanian Stage on the northwestern Pacific margin. Visual characterization of the kerogen from mudstone samples shows that the major constituents of sedimentary organic matter originated as terrestrial higher plants. The atomic hydrogen/carbon ratios of the kerogen suggest that the original δ¹³C values of terrestrial organic matter (TOM) have not been affected significantly by thermal diagenesis. The patterns in two δ¹³C_TOM curves are similar and independent of changes in lithology and total organic carbon contents, which suggests that TOM was mixed sufficiently before the deposition in the Yezo forearc basin for the δ¹³C composition having been homogenized. In addition, this implies that the Hokkaido δ¹³C_TOM profiles represent the averaged temporal δ¹³C variations of terrestrial higher‐plant vegetation in the hinterlands of northeast Asia during Cenomanian time. Three shorter‐term (ca. 0.1 my duration) positive‐and‐negative δ¹³C_TOM fluctuations of ∼1‰ are present in the Lower to Middle Cenomanian interval in the Yezo Group. On the basis of the age‐diagnostic taxa (ammonoids, inoceramids and planktic foraminifers), these discrete δ¹³C_TOM events are interpreted to be correlated with those in the δ¹³C curves of pelagic carbonates from European basins. The correlation of δ¹³C events between the European and Yezo Group sections suggests that the shorter‐term δ¹³C fluctuations in Cenomanian ocean‐atmosphere carbon reservoirs are useful for global chemostratigraphic correlation of marine strata. In particular, the correlation of δ¹³C fluctuations of the so‐called ‘Mid‐Cenomanian event’ (MCE) implies: (i) the δ¹³C variations of global carbon reservoir during the MCE are precisely recorded in the δ¹³C_TOM records; and (ii) the MCE δ¹³C_TOM event is an efficient chronostratigraphic index for the Lower/Middle Cenomanian boundary of the Mid‐Cretaceous sequences.     

C-Isotope stratigraphy,a monitor of paleoenvironmental change: A case study from the early cretaceous

Today's disturbance of the global carbon cycle induced by anthropogenic processes has raised new interest in the history of the global carbon cycle and its relationship to climate and other geochemical cycles. Carbon-isotope stratigraphy proves to be most useful as a monitor of the history of the carbon-cycle during the last 200 million years. In the introductory paragraphs of this review the mode of functioning of the global carbon-cycle is summarized and the connection between carbon-cycle and carbon isotope geochemistry is documented. A case study on the disturbance of the global carbon cycle during the Aptian-Albian is presented. The disturbance of the carbon cycle lasting up to millions of years is recorded in the carbon-isotope stratigraphy of pelagic sediments. It is superimposed on high frequency sedimentological cycles, related to climate and oceanographic cycles of 20, 40 or 100 ky duration. The data reviewed suggest that the change in the global carbon system was linked to a global acceleration of geochemical cycles triggered by a long-term change in atmospheric CO₂ controlled by the rate of sea-floor formation and by volcanic activity. Increased accumulation rates of terrestrial material and terrestrial organic matter in marine sediments may be used as an indicator of an intensified hydrological cycling resulting in higher water-discharge rates. An intensification of the Aptian-Albian water cycle is further reflected in continental sediments monitoring a period of elevated humidity. An increase in water discharge rates should have affected the transfer rate of dissolved nutrients from continents to oceans. Elevated concentrations of phosphorus may have led to an increase in Aptian-Albian oceanic productivity enhancing the transfer of marine organic matter from the oceanic into the sedimentary reservoir. Increased productivity, increased bulk sedimentation rates and poorly oxygenated deep-water led to increased preservation of marine and terrestrial organic matter in marine sediments. The accelerated output of marine organic carbon from the oceanic reservoir is ultimately registered in the positive carbon-isotope excursion of the marine carbonate carbon-isotope stratigraphy.     

Tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Okcheon Metamorphic Belt, South Korea: Tectonic implications in East Asia

Abstract The tectonic history of the Okcheon Metamorphic Belt (OMB) is a key to understanding the tectonic relationship between South Korea, China and Japan. The petrochemistry of 150 psammitic rocks in the OMB indicates that the depositional environment progressively deepened towards the northwest. These data, combined with the distribution pattern of oxide minerals and the abundance of carbonaceous material, support a half‐graben basin model for the OMB. Biotite and muscovite K–Ar dates from metasediments in the central OMB range from 102 to 277 Ma. K–Ar ages of 142–194 Ma are widespread throughout the area, whereas the older ages of 216–277 Ma are restricted to the metasediments of the middle part of the central OMB. The younger (Cretaceous) ages are only found in metasediments that are situated near the Cretaceous granite intrusions. The 216–277 Ma dates from weakly deformed areas represent cooling ages of M1 intermediate pressure/temperature (P/T) metamorphism. The relationship between age distribution and deformation pattern indicates that the Jurassic muscovite and biotite dates can be interpreted as complete resetting ages, caused by thermal and deformational activities associated with Jurassic granite plutonism. Well‐defined ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of 155–169 Ma for micas from both metasediments and granitic rocks can be correlated with the main Jurassic K–Ar mica ages (149–194 Ma). U–Pb zircon dates for biotite granite from the southwest OMB are 167–169 Ma. On the basis of the predominantly Jurassic igneous and metamorphic ages and the uniformity of d₀₀₂ values for carbonaceous materials in the study area, it is suggested that the OMB has undergone amphibolite facies M2 metamorphism after M1 metamorphism. This low P/T M2 regional thermal metamorphism may have been caused by the regional intrusion of Jurassic granites. The OMB may have undergone tectono‐metamorphic evolution as follows: (i) the OMB was initiated as an intraplate rift in the Neoproterozoic during break‐up of Rodinia, and may represent the extension of Huanan aulacogen within the South China block; (ii) sedimentation continued from the Neoproterozoic to the Ordovician, perhaps with several unconformities; (iii) M1 intermediate P/T metamorphism occurred during the Late Paleozoic due to compression caused by collision between the North and South China blocks in an area peripheral to the collision zone; and (iv) during the Early to Middle Jurassic, north‐westward subduction of the Farallon‐Izanagi Plate under the Asian Plate resulted in widespread intrusion of granites, which triggered M2 low P/T regional thermal metamorphism in the OMB. This event also formed the dextral Honam shear zone at the boundary between the OMB and Precambrian Yeongnam massif.     

Cretaceous volcanic rocks of the South Tethyan suture zone, Pakistan: implications for the Réunion hotspot and Deccan Traps

The location, ages, and geochemical characteristics of marine volcanic rocks preserved in the South Tethyan suture zone of Pakistan suggest that the Réunion hotspot was active off northwestern Greater India well before the emplacement, far to the south, of the Deccan flood basalts, the great bulk of which were erupted at 65-66 Ma and are widely believed to be associated with the hotspot’s plume-head phase. Most of the suture zone samples have Nd-Pb-Sr isotopic ratios (e.g. age-corrected ?_Nd(t)=+3.0 to +4.6) close to those expected for modern-type Réunion source mantle in the Late Cretaceous, and their incompatible element patterns resemble those of recent Réunion shield lavas. ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar incremental heating yields ages of 73.4-72.0 Ma. Nevertheless, unless even older ages are discovered among the suture zone rocks, a pre-Deccan marine phase of Réunion hotspot activity on the Tethyan side of Greater India can be accommodated within the framework of the plume-head model.     

Magnetic properties of the Olivenza meteorite—possible implications for its evolution and an early solar system magnetic field

The magnetic properties of samples of the Olivenza chondrite (LL5) obtained from four collections have been investigated. The natural remanent magnetization (NRM) consists of a very stable primary component, which is randomly scattered in direction on a scale of 1 mm³ or less within the samples, and a secondary magnetization widely varying in intensity, and probably also in direction. The origin of the secondary NRM is not clear, and may be of terrestrial origin. It is concluded that the NRM is carried by the ordered nickel-iron mineral, tetrataenite. The origin of the primary NRM could be a magnetic field associated with the solar nebula, out of which the metal grains condensed and acquired a thermo-remanent magnetization (TRM), or Olivenza could be a fine-grained breccia, the constituent fragments possessing randomly directed magnetization. The implications for the origin and evolution of Olivenza and its parent body if the former magnetizing process has occurred are discussed.     

Magnetic properties of sediments from the Pearl River Delta,South China: Paleoenvironmental implications

Magnetic parameters and their environmental implications of sediments in a core (PD) from the Pearl River Delta, South China, indicate that ferrimagnetic minerals with low coercivity, such as magnetite, dominate the magnetic properties although small amounts of Fe-sulphides occur. The fraction of Fe-sulphides increases and becomes the dominant minerals determining the magnetic characteristics in grey-black organic-rich clay horizons, indicating an anoxic, sulphate-reducing swamp environment resulting from a marine regression. In the "Huaban clay" , hard magnetic minerals, such as hematite and goethite, largely control the magnetic properties of the sediments and imply a long period of exposure and weathering. Where magnetite is the main magnetic mineral, its fraction and grain size determine properties such as magnetic susceptibility (κ ) and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM). Ratios of SIRM/κ and χarm/SIRM reflect changes in sea level with high SIRM/κ and χarm/SIRM correlating with a smaller magnetic mineral grain size and rising sea level. Based on downcore variations of these environmental magnetic parameters along with sediment characteristics and microfauna, the sedimentary environment of the Pearl River Delta area can be divided into two main cycles of transgression and regression during the late Pleistocene and Holocene with more sub-cycles of sea level fluctuation during each transgression.     

The Megadeltas of Asia: interlinkage of land and sea,and human development

This special issue describes research arising from the megadelta project of the Asia‐Pacific‐Networks (APN), undertaken between 2004 and 2009 ( www.megadelta.ecnu.edu.cn ). Numerous delta‐coast scientists from more than 20 countries were involved in the project concerned with developing our knowledge of land–estuarine–coastal interactions in megadeltas, and with fusing this knowledge with societal development and management. Project workshops were held in Bangkok (2004), Ho Chi Minh City (2005), Dhaka (2007) and Shanghai (2008) with over 500 participants. The main objectives of the project were: (1) development of regional databases; (2) understanding of delta formation and associated fluxes between land and sea; (3) knowledge transfer and building research capacity; and (4) understanding how better social management might follow. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Depositional record of historic lahars in the upper Whangaehu Valley, Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand: implications for trigger mechanisms, flow dynamics and lahar hazards

Mt. Ruapehu, in the central North Island of New Zealand, is one of the most lahar-prone volcanoes in the world. Since historic observations began in 1861 AD, more than 50 individual lahars have been recorded in the Whangaehu valley alone, the natural outlet to the summit Crater Lake. These lahars have been triggered by a variety of mechanisms, including explosive eruptions that displaced Crater Lake water over the outlet or ejected it onto the snow-clad summit area of the volcano; rain-remobilisation of tephra deposits on steep slopes; displacement over the outlet as a result of syn-eruptive changes in lake bathymetry; and lake break-outs from Crater Lake following impoundment of excess water behind temporary barriers of tephra and/or ice emplaced over the outlet. However, only 9 lahar deposits can be distinguished in the upper Whangaehu valley on sedimentological, stratigraphic, geomorphic and petrological grounds, and these are skewed towards either the largest or the most recent flows. In some cases magnitude can be reconstructed from deposit geometry, with the largest lahars producing the highest level terraces, the coarsest deposits, and crossing drainage divides into normally inactive channels. This under-representation of historic events reflects the low preservation potential of unconsolidated deposits in a steep alpine environment, and the overprinting and recycling effect of large magnitude lahars that rework material down to bedrock and effectively reset the stratigraphic record. Development of magnitude-frequency relationships for Ruapehu lahars therefore requires the identification of lahar deposits in proximal, medial and distal settings in order to ensure that the full range of events is represented.     

Radiogenic Hf isotopic compositions of continental eolian dust from Asia, its variability and its implications for seawater Hf

The inorganic silicate fraction extracted from bulk pelagic sediments from the North Pacific Ocean is eolian dust. It monitors the composition of continental crust exposed to erosion in Asia. ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios of modern dust are sub-chondritic between 0.011 and 0.016 but slightly elevated with respect to immature sediments. Modern dust samples display a large range in Hf isotopic composition (IC), −4.70<?_Hf<+16.45, which encompasses that observed for the time series of DSDP cores 885/886 and piston core LL44-GPC3 extending back to the late Cretaceous. Hafnium and neodymium isotopic results are consistent with a dominantly binary mixture of dust contributed from island arc volcanic material and dust from central Asia. The Hf-Nd isotopic correlation for all modern dust samples, ?_Hf=0.78?_Nd+5.66 (n=22, R²=0.79), is flatter than those reported so far for terrestrial reservoirs. Moreover, the variability in ?_Hf of Asian dust exceeds that predicted on the basis of corresponding ?_Nd values (−4.7<?_Hf<+2.5; −10.9<?_Nd<−10.1). This is attributed to: (1) the fixing of an important unradiogenic fraction of Hf in zircons, balanced by radiogenic Hf that is mobile in the erosional cycle, (2) the elevated Lu/Hf ratio in chemical sediments which, given time, results in a Hf signature that is radiogenic compared with Hf expected from its corresponding Nd isotopic components, and (3) the possibility that diagenetic resetting of marine sediments may incorporate a significant radiogenic Hf component into diagenetically grown minerals such as illite. Together, these processes may explain the variability and more radiogenic character of Hf isotopes when compared to the Nd isotopic signatures of Asian dust. The Hf-Nd isotope time series of eolian dust are consistent with the results of modern dust except two samples that have extremely radiogenic Hf for their Nd (?_Hf=+8.6 and +10.3, ?_Nd=−9.5 and −9.8). These data may point to a source contribution of dust unresolved by Nd and Pb isotopes. The Hf IC of eolian dust input to the oceans may be more variable and more radiogenic than previously anticipated. The Hf signature of Pacific seawater, however, has varied little over the past 20 Myr, especially across the drastic increase of eolian dust flux from Asia around 3.5 Ma. Therefore, continental contributions to seawater Hf appear to be riverine rather than eolian. Current predictions regarding the relative proportions of source components to seawater Hf must account for the presence of a variable and radiogenic continental component. Data on the IC and flux of river-dissolved Hf to the oceans are urgently required to better estimate contributions to seawater Hf. This then would permit the use of Hf isotopes as a monitor of past changes in erosion.     

Changes to flood peaks of a mountain river: implications for analysis of the 2013 flood in the Upper Bow River,Canada

The mountain headwater Bow River at Banff, Alberta, Canada, was subject to a large flood in June 2013, over which considerable debate has ensued regarding its probability of occurrence. It is therefore instructive to consider what information long‐term streamflow discharge records provide about environmental change in the Upper Bow River basin above Banff. Though protected as part of Banff National Park, since 1885, the basin has experienced considerable climate and land cover changes, each of which has the potential to impact observations, and hence the interpretations of flood probability. The Bow River at Banff hydrometric station is one of Canada's longest‐operating reference hydrological basin network stations and so has great value for assessing changes in flow regime over time. Furthermore, the station measures a river that provides an extremely important water supply for Calgary and irrigation district downstream and so is of great interest for assessing regional water security. These records were examined for changes in several flood attributes and to determine whether flow changes may have been related to landscape change within the basin as caused by forest fires, conversion from grasslands to forest with fire suppression, and regional climate variations and/or trends. Floods in the Upper Bow River are generated by both snowmelt and rain‐on‐snow (ROS) events, the latter type which include flood events generated by spatially and temporally large storms such as occurred in 2013. The two types of floods also have different frequency characteristics. Snowmelt and ROS flood attributes were not correlated significantly with any climate index or with burned area except that snowmelt event duration correlated negatively to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. While there is a significant negative trend in all floods over the past 100 years, when separated based on generating process, neither snowmelt floods nor large ROS floods associated with mesoscale storms show any trends over time. Despite extensive changes to the landscape of the basin and in within the climate system, the flood regime remains unchanged, something identified at smaller scales in the region but never at larger scales. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnetic fabrics of the Bloodgood Canyon and Shelley Peak Tuffs,southwestern New Mexico: implications for emplacement and alteration processes

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of the middle Tertiary Bloodgood Canyon and Shelley Peak Tuffs of the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field has been used to (1) evaluate the ability of AMS to constrain flow lineations in low-susceptibility ash-flow tuffs; (2) establish a correlation between magnetic fabric, magnetic mineralogy, tuff facies, and characteristics of the depositional setting; and (3) constrain source locations of the tuffs. The tuffs are associated with the overlapping Bursum caldera and Gila Cliff Dwellings basin. The high-silica Bloodgood Canyon Tuff fills the Gila Cliff Dwellings basin and occurs as thin outcrops outside of the basin. The older Shelley Peak Tuff occurs as thin outcrops both along the boundary between the two structures, and outside of the complex. AMS data were collected from 16 sites of Bloodgood Canyon Tuff basin fill, 19 sites of Bloodgood Canyon Tuff outflow, and 11 sites of Shelley Peak Tuff. Sites were classified on the basis of within-site clustering of orientations of principal susceptibility axes, based on the categories of Knight et al. (1986). Most microscopically visible oxide minerals in the Bloodgood Canyon Tuff outflow and basin fill, and in the Shelley Peak Tuff are members of the hematite-ilmenite solid solution series. However, IRM acquisition data indicate that Bloodgood Canyon Tuff basin fill and Shelley Peak Tuff have magnetic mineralogy dominated by single- or pseudo-single-domain magnetite, and that the magnetic mineralogy of the Bloodgood Canyon Tuff outflow is dominated by hematite. Hematite in Bloodgood Canyon Tuff outflow is likely to be the result of deuteric and/or low-temperature alteration of magnetite and iron silicate minerals. Bulk magnetic susceptibility is higher in magnetite-dominated ash-flow tuff (Bloodgood Canyon Tuff basin fill and Shelley Peak Tuff) than it is in hematite-dominated ash-flow tuff (Bloodgood Canyon Tuff outflow). Bloodgood Canyon Tuff outflow has the highest total anisotropy (H) of the three units, followed by Shelley Peak Tuff and Bloodgood Canyon Tuff basin fill. All three ash-flow tuffs are genearlly characterized by oblate susceptibility ellipsoids, with those of the Bloodgood Canyon Tuff basin fill nearest to spherical. At high values of total anisotropy, Shelley Peak Tuff susceptibility ellipsoids attain a prolate shape; those of Bloodgood Canyon Tuff outflow attain an increasingly oblate shape. Three factors may influence differences in total anisotropy and susceptibility ellipsoid shape: (1) ash which travelled the greatest distance before deposition may show the best development of magnetic fabric, particularly of magnetic lineation; (2) deposition of ash in a closed basin may inhibit laminar flow throughout the sheet and the resulting development of flow textures; and (3) replacement of magnetite and iron silicates preferentially oriented within the foliation plane by hematite with strong crystalline anisotropy may enhance the magnetic susceptibility within that plane. Scatter in AMS axis orientation within sites may result from: (1) greater orientation inaccuracy in block-sampled than in fielddrilled samples; (2) rheomorphism; and (3) low accuracy of AMS measurement in low-susceptibility ashflow tuffs. Evaluation of flow lineation based on AMS of sites with well-clustered K ₁ axes indicates that (1) Bloodgood Canyon Tuff basin fill flowed along a generally northwest-southeast azimuth; (2) Shelley Peak Tuff located on the boundary of the Bursum caldera and the Gila Cliff Dwellings basin flowed along a nearly east-west azimuth; and (3) Bloodgood Canyon Tuff outflow sites have K ₁ susceptibility axes generally radial to the Bursum-Gila Cliff Dwellings complex, but within-site scatter of K ₁ orientations is generally too large to draw conclusions about flow lineation orientation. Limited petrographic work on pilot thin sections adds flow direction information to AMS-derived flow lineation information.     

江西九庐公路红土剖面的磁学特征及其反映的风化成土作用

南方第四纪红土是研究古环境变化的重要载体.本文对采自江西九江的九庐公路红土剖面进行了详细的环境磁学研究,拟探讨多项磁参数在提取南方红土古环境信息方面的价值.结果显示,红土剖面上段的弱风化层,磁化率随着成土作用的增强而增大,反映了成土过程中产生的细颗粒亚铁磁性矿物导致的磁化率增加;而在剖面下段强风化的网纹红土层,表现为磁化率和退磁参数S比值下降但硬剩磁显著增加,反映强风化成土作用下不完整反铁磁性矿物的富集.与单一磁化率指标相比,多项磁学参数的综合运用可以在南方红土古气候重建领域发挥重要作用.     

Magnetic susceptibility logging of Chicxulub proximal impact breccias in the Santa Elena borehole: implications for emplacement mode

Magnetic susceptibility logging is used to study the impact breccias in the Chicxulub crater. The basic premise is that the high contrasts in magnetic properties can be used to characterize the breccias. The Santa Elena borehole was drilled 110 km radial distance from crater center and sampled a 172 m thick sequence of impact breccias, between 332 and 504 m depth. Breccia units are distinguished from differences in composition, size, and relative contents of clasts, type of matrix and textural and lithological assemblages, which can be resolved in the susceptibility logs. The whole-core log shows characteristic variation patterns with high, intermediate and low susceptibilities. High resolution logging of matrix and clasts records the heterogeneous nature of impactites, with higher variability at smaller spatial scales. Measurements confirm that diamagnetic susceptibilities characterize the carbonate clasts, high susceptibilities the basement granitic clasts and intermediate values the silicate melt-rich and silicate-poor matrix. Intermediate variable susceptibilities characterize breccias rich in melt particles. Correlation of matrix and clast logs with whole-core log shows that signal is controlled by the matrix. Logs for clast shows a discrete distribution with peaks of intermediate to high values, which correlate with large clast distributions. The ejecta blanket includes the fallback suevites rich in silicate melt particles and shocked minerals, the high temperature vapor deposits from ejecta curtain collapse and high velocity basal flows, and the carbonate rich deposits from lateral basal flows and secondary cratering. Late fallback suevites record minor turbulent conditions resulting from progressive cooling of the ejecta plume.     

Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic study of forearc basin sediments: Lower to Upper Cretaceous Budden Canyon Formation (Great Valley Group), northern California,USA

The results of a calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic investigation of the North Fork Cottonwood Creek section of the Budden Canyon Formation (BCF; Hauterivian–Turonian) in northern California are summarized using the Boreal – cosmopolitan Boreal Nannofossil Biostratigraphy (BC) – Upper Cretaceous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy (UC) nannofossil zonal schemes of Bown et al. and Burnett et al. Sixteen intervals, ranging from the BC15 to UC8 zones, were established in the section. Combined biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic studies suggest a Hauterivian to mid‐Turonian age for the studied sequence. The Hauterivian–Barremian, Barremian–Aptian, Aptian–Albian, Albian–Cenomanian, and Cenomanian–Turonian stage boundaries were delineated near the top of the Ogo Member, below the Huling Sandstone Member, within the upper Chickabally Member, in the upper portion of the Bald Hills Member and within the Gas Point Member, respectively. Unconformities probably exist at the base of the Huling Sandstone Member and the upper part of the upper Chickabally Member. The nannofossil assemblage in the North Fork Cottonwood Creek suggests that the study area was under the influence of cold‐water conditions during the Barremian to Lower Aptian interval, shifting to tropical/warm‐water conditions during the Albian to Turonian interval as a result of the mid‐Cretaceous global warming. Although oceanic anoxic events have not yet been reported in the BCF, preliminary total organic carbon, along with nannofossil data, suggest the presence of the global Cenomanian–Turonian boundary oceanic anoxic event 2.